WeTried Translations
Translator: Joy
Editor: Joy
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 17: The Price of a Fist
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“I have no intention of reselling the Fist of the Rending Cloud.”
Haryeong sighed. Elena swallowed hard.
“Why?”
Bakerd’s face twisted. His expression was not the only way he openly showed how deeply Yuri’s answer displeased him.
Yuri could see something like faint smoke flowing from Bakerd’s body. It cut through the mana in the air and drifted toward Yuri.
Goosebumps rose on Yuri’s arms, and his skin tingled. His breath caught as though someone had grabbed him by the throat.
“What are you doing?”
Elena’s expression turned murderous. The crackling grew louder as Elena strode forward and blocked Bakerd’s path.
“You’re pressuring my friend just because the deal did not go as you wished...!”
“Sir Bakerd, you are going too far.”
Haryeong’s expression hardened as she drew her dagger. She glared at Bakerd and spoke.
“This is Le Seyun, managed by the Ascard Family. Are you truly planning to oppose the Ascard Family by relying on your sixth-tier strength? And Lady Elena is a prospective disciple of Heavenly Thunder Orca.”
“Ghk...”
At those words, Bakerd grimaced and withdrew the pressure.
“I let my emotions show without realizing it. That is how desperately I want the Fist of the Rending Cloud. Please understand.”
‘Sixth tier?’
Rubbing his prickling arm, Yuri was impressed despite himself. Bakerd had only been level twenty-something as a member of the Sairan guard, but thirty years later, Bakerd had reached the sixth tier.
“But should this not be discussed with Marigold?”
“Yes.”
Yuri answered.
“I was the one who needed the Fist of the Rending Cloud and won the bid for it. If you want the Fist of the Rending Cloud, you must speak with me.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Yuri.”
“Very well, Yuri. From what I can see... are you planning to enter martial arts through the Fist of the Rending Cloud?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Bakerd’s beard twitched. He assessed Yuri, who was still standing before him. Yuri’s frame was fairly good, and there was no cloudiness in his eyes. Yuri lacked internal energy, but otherwise seemed to have no shortcomings for pursuing the martial path.
“Why did you choose the fist?”
Bakerd asked.
“The path of a martial artist is exceedingly harsh. Most become crippled before reaching the fourth tier, or fail to endure it and end up taking up a weapon.”
“Not everyone does. You did not, Sir Bakerd.”
“I had no choice. But your situation is different from mine. With 1.5 billion sel, you could acquire a sword technique worthy of being called an ultimate art.”
“I like fists.”
Yuri shook his head as he answered. Bakerd’s beard twitched again.
“Do you know what kind of fist technique the Fist of the Rending Cloud is?”
“No.”
“You do not know, yet you insist on the Fist of the Rending Cloud?”
“I had never heard of the martial art before, but when I saw those five characters in the catalogue, I felt fate.”
“F-fate?”
“Yes. Fate. There were many other martial arts in the catalogue, but I could not see anything except the Fist of the Rending Cloud. That is why I resolved to win it and learn it no matter what.”
Bakerd stared blankly. He blinked for a moment and tried to speak, but Yuri did not give him the chance.
“So no matter how much you offer, I will never sell the Fist of the Rending Cloud.”
“That is... troublesome. I too must obtain the Fist of the Rending Cloud.”
Swish...
Smoke drifted around Bakerd again. However, perhaps because of Elena and Haryeong’s warnings, it did not push toward Yuri and pressure him as it had before.
“Then what should we do? I need it, and you need it too.”
“That is why I said I would add more money...”
“Standing around talking like this is a little awkward. Let us sit down and continue our discussion.”
“Sit down? Hahaha. Are you asking me to go to a café with you? Or should we sit on the floor here?”
Bakerd gave a hollow laugh and sneered.
“There are plenty of good chairs inside, are there not?”
Yuri smiled back and pointed toward the auction hall behind them. Since it was an auction hall exclusively for VIPs, the chairs were soft and comfortable.
“Go back to the auction hall?”
“Yes.”
Yuri headed for the auction hall without waiting for an answer.
“What are you thinking?”
Elena hurried after Yuri and asked. Haryeong did not ask directly, but her expression showed that she did not understand either.
“It is a good idea for you too.”
Yuri glanced at Elena and smiled. Yuri held the upper hand now. As Haryeong had said, this was Le Seyun, managed by the Ascard Family, and Elena, who could be called Yuri’s guardian, was Heavenly Thunder Orca’s prospective disciple. No matter how packed Bakerd’s brain was with muscle, he could not pressure Yuri with force in this situation.
‘How can I use this to my advantage? 1.5 billion sel is a lot of money, but I do not want to give up the Fist of the Rending Cloud.’
‘First, I will definitely learn the Fist of the Rending Cloud.’
With that as the foundation, Yuri had already decided what else to extract from Bakerd.
[Most of the VIPs attending today’s auction must have been waiting for this moment.]
[We are honoured to present the formula for Scorching Blaze, the unique magic of the seventh-tier freelance mage Harabel Ushia, Crimson Wing, at our Le Seyun auction house.]
[Scorching Blaze was personally submitted by Harabel Ushia. Before introducing Scorching Blaze, allow us to first introduce the illustrious Crimson Wing, Harabel Ushia.]
The auction hall they returned to was reaching the lot for Scorching Blaze, the star of today’s auction.
Clap, clap, clap...
Amid the applause, a woman appeared in the centre of the auction hall.
True to the title Crimson Wing, Harabel Ushia’s hair flickered like flames, while her equally red eyes shone brightly. Harabel also seemed to have a personality like fire. Wearing a leather jacket, she stood crookedly with both hands shoved into her trouser pockets.
“The minimum bid is one billion.”
Harabel spoke abruptly.
“I have no intention of selling it for less. It is a formula worth that much. I do not know who will win the bid, but I do not care how you use the formula. Learn it yourself if you want. Analyse it and make other magic from it if you want. I do not care.”
Harabel’s burning gaze swept across the auction hall’s VIPs.
“Maybe one of you will analyse Scorching Blaze and try to fuck me over. Well, go ahead if you are confident. If you are ready to die, that is.”
Yuri put a fair amount of faith in appearances, so Harabel’s rough manner of speaking seemed only natural. If someone dressed like that spoke softly and acted kindly, that would have been far stranger.
“So cool...”
Elena had returned to the auction hall without knowing why, but clasped both hands before her chest as she watched Harabel turn around without ever taking her hands from her trouser pockets.
[Hahaha, as expected of Crimson Wing. Very well, we will begin at one billion sel.]
The auction for Scorching Blaze began. Bakerd, seated beside Yuri with arms crossed, grumbled as he glared at the back of Harabel’s head as though deeply displeased.
“One billion sel is no trifling amount.”
Bakerd clearly did not like that the minimum bid for a single formula, not even an entire unique magic formula, started at one billion sel.
“So, what more did you want to discuss?”
“As I said earlier, I will not sell the Fist of the Rending Cloud for more money.”
“Get to the point.”
“Are you planning to learn the Fist of the Rending Cloud yourself, Sir Bakerd? Or do you need the manual itself?”
“Is that a question I need to answer?”
“If it were not a question you needed to answer, I would not have asked it.”
Bakerd fell silent for a moment and glared at Yuri. It was a fierce look, but Yuri did not avoid it. The look Lorelia had given Yuri in the waiting room before transmigrating had been far more frightening.
“I will learn it myself.”
Bakerd’s lips finally opened after the silence.
“Then you do not need the manual itself.”
“I do not understand why you are asking...”
“Then I will sell you a copy of the manual.”
Bakerd blinked at Yuri’s quick answer.
[1.4 billion sel... 1.5 billion sel. We have 1.5 billion sel.]
Even as they spoke, the bid for Scorching Blaze continued to climb.
“There is only one physical manual for the Fist of the Rending Cloud, but I want to learn it, and you want to learn it. There is no helping it, is there?”
“You will... sell me a copy?”
“Yes. The price will remain 1.5 billion sel.”
“W-what do you mean...?”
Was Yuri out of his mind? Bakerd stared at Yuri with an incredulous expression.
“You are saying you and I will both learn one martial art?”
“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”
“There is! You and I are neither master and disciple nor martial brothers!”
“Who created the Fist of the Rending Cloud?”
“Prism Fist Yang Ilsu, an ancient master.”
“You are neither a disciple nor martial brother of Prism Fist Yang Ilsu either, are you?”
Bakerd could not continue speaking. His beard merely trembled.
“It is a martial art I bought with money. What does it matter if I make a copy and sell it?”
“No... but for two people of the same generation to learn one martial art...”
“Scorching Blaze, which has already risen to 1.8 billion, is being sold to an unidentified VIP even though Crimson Wing is alive and well.”
“That is true, but...”
“I do not care about old-fashioned traditions. You desperately want the Fist of the Rending Cloud that now belongs to me, so I merely proposed a suitable solution. If you do not want the copy, I will keep the copy and give you the original. If you do not want that either, give up on the Fist of the Rending Cloud.”
Bakerd did not answer right away. He desperately needed the Fist of the Rending Cloud.
He must not take it by force. He could not, either. It might have been different against someone else, but Yuri was connected to the prospective disciple of the Dersia Mage Tower Master.
“If you are going to learn the Fist of the Rending Cloud too, then 1.5 billion sel is too expensive.”
“Was that not the price you offered yourself, Sir Bakerd?”
“That is true, but that price was reasonable when I alone would inherit the Fist of the Rending Cloud in this generation...”
“You did not say that earlier.”
Yuri answered without backing down.
[2.3 billion! Harabel Ushia’s Scorching Blaze formula has been sold for 2.3 billion sel!]
The auction for Scorching Blaze, which had begun at one billion sel, was over.
[A staggering 2.3 billion! The Scorching Blaze formula has set a new record for the highest price in Le Seyun’s public auction history!]
[We hope this blazing excitement continues as we introduce our next item.]
[Seven Thunders of Flash Soul-Chaser Jang-un, the ill-fated fifth-tier lightning-attribute mage who died three years ago! A unique magic formula composed of seven formulas!]
Contrary to the auctioneer’s hopes, the excitement did not continue. Scorching Blaze had sold for such an exorbitant price, Jang-un’s reputation could not compare with Harabel Ushia’s, and Rutlan was home to both Heavenly Thunder Orca, the greatest lightning-attribute mage of the age, and the Dersia Mage Tower, which had pursued lightning magic for generations.
“Still... whether it is the original or a copy, 1.5 billion sel is too much if you are going to learn the Fist of the Rending Cloud too.”
“You should have won the bid yourself, Sir Bakerd.”
“If it had not been for you two...!”
Bakerd’s fist trembled. He too had been caught off guard by the bid rising far beyond expectations. He had never imagined there would be competition over the Fist of the Rending Cloud...! Bakerd bit down hard on his lip and glared at Yuri.
[We will begin bidding on Flash Soul-Chaser Jang-un’s Seven Thunders at 50 million sel.]
“If 1.5 billion is too much, how about this?”
Yuri looked over the atmosphere among the auction hall’s VIPs. The heat from the Scorching Blaze auction had already died down. Bids rose now and then, but not very quickly.
“Win the Seven Thunders currently being auctioned and transfer it to us. Then teach me the basics of the Fist of the Rending Cloud yourself.”
“What...?”
“As you can see, I have never properly learned martial arts. I won the Fist of the Rending Cloud because I felt a fated pull toward it, but honestly, I am very worried about how to learn it.”
Elena had still been reluctant to let go of Seven Thunders, but had never imagined Yuri would turn the deal around like that. Elena could only stare blankly at Yuri with her mouth half open.
“If you do not like that either, there is nothing to be done. I cannot concede any further, so I will simply learn the Fist of the Rending Cloud from Haryeong.”
Haryeong had suddenly become the target, but her expression did not waver. She knew very well what answer to give now.
“Yay.”
“...”
“I am so, so excited. Thanks to Yuri-nim, I can read the Fist of the Rending Cloud manual for free. Hooray.”
“Ahem.”
“Do not worry, Yuri-nim. It is embarrassing to say so myself, but my martial talent is quite exceptional. I am capable of teaching Yuri-nim, who is unfamiliar with martial arts.”
Haryeong cheered while keeping a completely expressionless face.
“An assassin... learning the Fist of the Rending Cloud...!”
“An assassin has two perfectly functional hands. Why would an assassin be unable to learn a fist technique?”
“Why are you selling it to me for money, yet letting an assassin learn it for free?!”
“Haryeong did not say she would buy it from me, and unlike you, Sir Bakerd, Haryeong and I are close.”
“May I cry for a moment? Yuri-nim’s words move me deeply. So we were close. Are we friends from now on?”
Haryeong continued the fuss in a low voice with the same expressionless face.
[200 million sel. We have 200 million sel.]
It was still valuable magic, so the price had already risen beyond 200 million sel. Bakerd listened to Seven Thunders’ steadily rising bids while looking back and forth between Haryeong’s expressionless face and Yuri’s relaxed one.
“You want me... to teach you the basics...? H-how far does ‘basics’ go?”
“Just make sure my posture is roughly correct.”
“That is the basics?”
“It is not the ultimate principles. We are only speaking of forms and techniques. If that is not the basics, what is?”
Haryeong answered in Yuri’s place.
“Yuri-nim. From what I can see, Sir Bakerd seems very reluctant. You should just give up on the deal. My mastery of fist techniques may not be as deep as Bakerd’s, but my enthusiasm is certainly not inferior. If Yuri-nim learns from me, I will instruct Yuri-nim not only in the basics, but in the advanced aspects and the ultimate principles as well.”
‘Does Haryeong really want to learn the Fist of the Rending Cloud?’
Yuri thought inwardly as he looked at Haryeong’s unchanged face.
“What absurdity...! How can an assassin discuss the advanced aspects and ultimate principles of a fist technique?”
“Sir Bakerd, do not spoil this. If you are not going to buy it, just leave.”
[300 million sel. We have 300 million sel.]
Bakerd abruptly turned to look at the auctioneer. Yuri saw him bite down on his lip, then leisurely continued.
“Once Seven Thunders is sold, I will consider this deal off. My conditions will never change, so think it over carefully.”
“Are you sure there’s time to think it over? It looks like it will be sold soon...”
Elena spoke in a trembling voice. If things went well, Elena could obtain Seven Thunders too. Only then did she understand what Yuri had said earlier.
‘It is a good idea for you too.’
That was exactly right. Yuri could secure the Fist of the Rending Cloud, and Elena could also obtain the Seven Thunders she wanted. Yuri had arranged this for Elena. Elena could not help but feel genuinely moved. To think Yuri would give her a gift like this...!
‘I have not received a gift since I was eight...’
The stuffed doll Elena had taken when leaving the orphanage. Yuri had not made it, but he had given the doll to Elena for her birthday.
It had probably been stolen from a shop, but it was the first and last birthday gift Elena had received from Yuri. Elena and Yuri exchanged birthday letters every year after leaving the orphanage, but Yuri had never given her another gift.
The doll was worn out from being carried around and hugged so often in childhood, but it was still displayed in Elena’s room. Fixated on the word ‘gift,’ Elena gripped the hem of her skirt.
Yuri did not urge Bakerd any further. He might raise the conditions, but would never lower them.
[350 million, 350 million sel. Are there no more bids?]
The auctioneer’s voice pushed Bakerd onward. He drew in a deep breath and pressed the button on the seat’s armrest.
“400 million... sel.”
Yuri grinned.
Footnotes:
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